Train Wreck
by Bright Eyes Tell Lies
Summary: Running away from your problems won't solve anything. He called out to her retreating form as she walked away. She turned around one last time, pain and heartbreak present on her features. Why not? she said quietly. You do.[squaffie]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi all! Welcome to my first Kingdom Hearts Fan fiction. Well…my first fan fiction period, but that's beside the point. Anyway, a few quick things about the fic:

Cloud is very OOC, but it's vital to the storyline that he is. I also made Yuffie a bit more mature, because I like a more level-headed Yuffie way better than the brain dead ditz she is often portrayed as. This fic could be considered in-game, provided Cloud returned to Traverse Town after leaving the Stadium (which, for the purpose of this fic, he has) I will also ask you to please excuse the grammar and spelling mistakes, seeing as spell check won't fix anything and I have no beta.

**Disclaimer of Awesomeness: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the characters (sadly.). All I own is a computer, a notebook, an overactive imagination, and a lot of free time on the weekends.**

That being said, I believe we can continue with the fic. Enjoy!

**-Chapter One: Fall Behind Me** -

_-x- -x- -x-_

Yuffie sat on the couch in the living room fuming. She rarely fumed but there was one thing that always got to her. They knew it too. She was sure of it. _"That's why the do it," _she mused silently._ "They do it because it annoys me and they know it." _If there was one thing Yuffie hated, it was being left out. And this morning was no different.

_They_ were Cloud, Aerith, and Leon (who refused to be addressed by any other name, but Yuffie still liked to call him Squall) and right about now they were sitting hunched over the coffee table discussing something. What that something was, Yuffie would probably never know. These morning discussions were ritual ever since Cloud returned to Traverse Town a few months back. Since then, he and Aerith were pretty much inseparable, and along with this, they took the liberty to include Leon in all of their discussions.

Yuffie grabbed a bagel and began to munch angrily wondering if her three companions knew just how much it annoyed her that they wouldn't treat her as an equal.

"_Of course they don't."_ And really why would they? She never gave off any emotion that would so much as suggest to anybody how much they were wearing her down. They had no idea how much it hurt her that she could never gain their trust, despite her best efforts. _"Cloud did,"_ she thought,_ "and he sold his soul to Hades for fuck's sake."_ She just couldn't get over how unfair the whole thing was. It was like some elite club she could never hope to gain access to, and that was enough to upset and frustrate her to the point of tears.

The tears she kept to herself. Yuffie would always put on a smile and tried her best to keep her little façade going long enough to fool everybody, which luckily for her, it did.

Of course, this cheerful mentality often got her into fights with Leon. Actually, it got her into fights with Leon almost daily. It was a ritual. She would say something---most likely call him Squall or make fun of him in some way---he would get mad. She would continue and then he'd yell. After the yelling was done he would storm out of the hotel and not come back until dinner. Then as they ate, Cloud and Aerith would make forced conversation with Leon and Yuffie would go back to being cheerful and all the while trying to forget the sting in her heart at the sound of his harsh words or the anger held in his cold blue eyes.

Sadly, despite all the arguments Yuffie could not deny the fact that she harbored deep feelings for the silent brunette. To this thought most people would say something similar to "opposites attract" and, it would seem they were correct. _Seem_. Leon, stoic and quiet, Yuffie, who always spoke her mind and wore her emotions on her sleeve for all to see. But most people didn't know that there was much more to Yuffie than a few casual conversations would reveal.

As she sat there, she recalled that in the nine years she'd been stuck sharing a hotel with Leon that was about all they'd had. If you could even consider their constant bickering conversations, for they rarely talked without fighting. Yuffie got along with Aerith pretty good, seeing as the older woman sort of saw Yuffie as a type of "younger sister" and took to trying to mentor the little ninja on being a refined young lady. Yeah right. Still, it was better than all of the fighting and headaches she'd endured over the years from Leon.

In reality she wasn't even sure why she'd fallen for him in the first place. As far as she'd known him he'd never possessed any special qualities. He was not kind or gentle, she had never heard him laugh without sarcasm or make a joke. No, Squall Leonheart was not anything special. He was quiet, serious, and well, quite frankly, boring. Why was it that he could put Yuffie on top of the world with a few kind words but bring her crashing down just as easily? It was something Yuffie _really_ didn't want to think about.

As she chewed the remaining bit of bagel she marveled at how much personal reflection she could fit into just a few minutes. And in the morning, no less! This had to be something special. A small sigh escaped her lips that went unnoticed by the three adults conversing nearby. Propping her feet up on the little footstool by the sofa, she picked up a newspaper and began to read.

-x- -x- -x-

Leon stared blankly at the couple sitting across from him at the table. Fighting the Heartless used to pay massive amounts of money. But soon after Cloud returned the number and value of Heartless were slowly decreasing. Nowadays, a person was lucky just to _find _one, let alone find on that would be worth enough to meet the basic needs of four people. That was quite nearly impossible, which is what brought the group to their current situation.

A place like Traverse Town was overcrowded, dirty, and impoverished. So many people had ended up her after the Heartless destroyed their worlds that jobs were in short supply. But, actually, it didn't bother Leon, though he would never admit it. He wanted as little to do with this town as possible.

It hadn't always been this way. Several years ago it was a nice, quiet, peaceful town. But in the past few years the Heartless had caused so much mass destruction that it had quickly become overpopulated. Most of these people were poor; and having lost everything, and trying to survive and cope with their loss and grief, they turned to a life of crime. Robberies, stealing, muggings, all of these things were common in Traverse Town.

It made Leon sick to think about it all really. Morals and values seemed to be utterly nonexistent here, and he couldn't see any escape in sight. No light at the end of the tunnel. No hope. No, he did not regret not being able to find work, because work meant interaction with these people, and while he wasn't the most social person, he still believed the less interaction with these people, the better.

"So, you're sure you really don't mind?" Aerith said quietly. She_ knew _he minded, I mean who wouldn't? They were so low on money they had to move from their normal three-bedroom hotel room, to a two-bedroom. Of course Cloud and Aerith didn't mind. They'd been sharing a room for the longest time, so it wasn't a matter of their preference. It was Leon. He was going to have to share a bedroom with Yuffie. She was so hard to get rid of during the day, and then at night she would be with him too. He was going to go insane. But he wasn't about to piss and moan like a baby about how he didn't want to share a room with her. No, the day Squall Leonheart threw a temper tantrum about _anything, _would be a sad day indeed.

"I don't mind." He said flatly. No need to conceal how he felt. "You're sure? I mean it's settled then?" Aerith continued, more out of politeness than anything else. She felt bad for putting him in this situation. Sure, he could _tolerate _Yuffie, to some extent, but Aerith didn't know if he would really be able to spend all night with her without sacrificing his sanity in the process. It wasn't that Yuffie was a bad kid, the opposite really, she was always nice and friendly, unless she was arguing with Leon that is, and had yet to commit a serious crime or anything that would warrant her being considered a delinquent. She was just _always_ happy and a little immature as well. But, Aerith guessed, they were all like that at that age, and it was no excuse trying to turn her into something she wasn't by forcing her to grow up.

"I said ok." Leon repeated, in the same monotone voice he'd used before. He really just wanted to end this conversation. It wasn't doing anybody any good, really, just going in circles for the past half hour like they had. It was all pretty pointless.

"Hey don't worry. She won't bite your or murder you in your sleep or anything. She's just a kid!" Cloud said cheerfully. Sometimes he could be as bad as Yuffie.

Leon hated to think things about the man who was his best friend since childhood, but he couldn't help it. Cloud had always been kind and cheerful, yet calm and collected. However, since he'd stopped working for Hades and come back to Traverse Town, he'd been making more and more jokes. Granted, some of them, Leon would admit, were clever and kind-spirited and actually halfway funny. But more often than not, they were cruel and mocking, with Yuffie as their subject. Leon would never tell his friend how much it annoyed him to hear him pick on Yuffie when she usually wasn't around. In truth, Cloud treated Yuffie like she was a two year old. Always underestimating her, which annoyed Leon, because that was about all he heard from Cloud anymore, was rude comments and jokes about Yuffie.

"I realize that." Leon said in response to his friend's question. He just wanted this conversation to end so he could go back to _his_ room for a while before they had to start packing to leave. The sooner they got out the better off they were, financially. But then again, in his opinion, there was no place they could go in this town that would make him consider the four of them "well off." He had realized a long time ago that his heart was still in Hollow Bastion and would be there, perhaps forever. But there was no hope of going back and he knew it. It didn't help to pretend to hope for what was not going to happen. He sighed and walked to his room as Aerith and Cloud went to tell Yuffie about their new change in living arrangement. He wondered if he would ever really find his place in life within the confines of a hotel room.

A/N: Well that's it for the first chapter! That was, for the most part, some background information and insight into the characters. The plot will pick up more in the next chapter, which will be posted soon, hopefully, if I get some time to finish it this weekend. I won't beg for reviews, but they would make me very happy, and might motivate me to update faster.

Until next time,

Bright Eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter two! Before we begin I would like to answer a few reviews!

**Kimmy2shine:** Thanks for the review, though I'm not really sure what you meant in it because it got cut off, but thanks anyway. I appreciate it!

**dannyXsam-forever: **Thanks for the review! Here's the update, hope you like it.

Bright Eyes: This chapter is dedicated to my first two reviewers (huggels reviewers)

And now for the discla—

Riku: Am I in the right place?

Bright Eyes: Riku? What are you doing here? You aren't in this fic.

Riku: I'm not? It says so on this manuscript. Granted, of course, you obviously didn't use spell check, seeing as how my name is spelled wro-----

Bright Eyes: (looks at manuscript) Riku! That um…that's not you. That's somebody else.

Riku: Oh ok. Sorry to bother you. (Riku starts to walk away)

Bright Eyes: So you're not upset or anything?

Riku: (Turns around) No. Not really. Truthfully, I'm in enough oneshots and stories, and perverted oneshots and stories and violent oneshots and stories, and angsty oneshots and stories, you name it really. I don't have time for another one right now.

Bright Eyes: Oh, ok. Well, since you're _here_ and all, would you mind doing the disclaimer for me?

Riku: Sure no problem. **Bright Eyes doesn't own me or any of the characters mentioned in this story unless otherwise stated. She only owns the small amount of plot this story contains and apparently no social life if she gets this much time to write on weekends.**

Bright Eyes: Hey!

Riku: Sorry. It had to be said.

Bright Eyes: Whatever. Anyway, enough of this crap, now we can begin!

**Chapter 2: Heart of Glass**

-x- -x- -x-

All in all she _had _taken it pretty well. They both had, really. That is, until they'd actually moved in. One glance at the bedroom Yuffie and Leon were to share and they noticed one big flaw in the room's design: One bed.

"Oh dear," Aerith said looking into the room," they must've run out of smaller beds."

"Oh." Leon deadpanned. He had a feeling that something like this would happen. It was always something. And it always happened to him.

"Oh! I wanna see!" Yuffie yelped, oblivious to the previous conversation. Upon seeing the bed she ran and climbed up on it and started jumping, wrinkling all of the sheets and causing two of the pillows to fall off.

"I…..um….well, I'll let you handle this, Leon. After all, it is _your_ room. I'll, uh, be unpacking down the hall with Cloud if you need us for anything." With that, Aerith scurried down the hall to avoid the argument she was certain was going to happen very shortly.

Leon walked into the room. "Get off _my_ bed." Leon made sure to stress the word _my._ He wasn't about to share a bed with Yuffie.

"No way Squall! This isn't _your_ bed. It's half mine, and I'm going to jump on my half, if you don't mind terribly." She continued jumping.

"My name is _not_ Squall. It's Leon, and get off of my bed. It's mine, not yours." He raised his voice slightly.

Yuffie dismounted the bed, gracefully landing on both feet on the ground. She crossed her arms and walked toward Leon slowly. If there was one thing she'd learned after all these years fighting with him, it was to stand your ground and defend yourself.

"No, your name is Squall. It's the name your parents gave you. I really don't know why you think changing your name is going to fix anything. They don't care!" She was screaming now. "The Heartless don't _care_ what your name is Squall, it's all the same to them. Don't you get it?" Now Yuffie was walking on dangerous ground, and she knew it, but it was too late to stop now. "I'm _sick_ and _tired_ of you always correcting me. You can't change who you _are_, Squall, you just can't! It happened, it's over, try to move on! God Damn, I can't believe you can't just accept it and try to get on with your life!"

Yuffie stepped back panting. She'd crossed the line. She'd mentioned the Heartless. She just couldn't help it. She'd said the things she'd wanted to say for years but never had the nerve to actually speak out loud. He's pushed her over the edge. Always going on about making people call him Leon, being mean and moody, and getting pissed whenever anybody made so much as a vague reference to Hollow Bastion or the Heartless in any way. Yuffie was tired of always having to walk on eggshells whenever she was around him. It wasn't fair.

For a moment nobody moved, nobody spoke, there was complete, utter, silence.

"Excuse me?" Leon growled, breaking the silence. Yuffie regretted saying everything the instant she heard those two words. He was furious. It was no longer about the bed, and Yuffie knew it. At this moment, the only thing she had to be thankful for was the fact that Squall was unarmed. He left his Gunblade in the other room. This turned out to be very fortunate for the little ninja, because she was almost certain that he was so enraged, that had he been armed, she would be nothing more than a bloody heap on the floor by now.

He walked foreword slowly, rage seething beneath his deceptively calm face. Yuffie had learned also, a long time ago, not to trust his face. He could be mad, happy, sad; it didn't matter, because the face itself would tell you nothing. It was all in the eyes. Those Persian blue eyes that were the only part of him that told would tell anybody how he truly felt. And right now, these eyes shone with nothing but fury and a bit of insanity.

He spoke once more "You don't know anything about that! You were a fucking _child _when the Heartless came, and you still are. I lost _everything_, Yuffie, everything I had! How dare you just ask me to move on? Like it will all just go away! You'll never understand. _Never_. You just assume things, like you know everything, when really you don't know anything! You're just a worthless little kid. I'm sick of dealing with you, you know that? Sick of it. You can't even get a damn job. I can't believe you." Then he took a deep breath and said in a low whisper full of rage "You know what? I honestly _never _want to see you ever again, Yuffie!"

Once he'd said it, Leon knew he wanted to take it back He was just so infuriated, and his pride wouldn't let him. And now the look of shock, anger, betrayal and utter disbelief on her face made him nauseous. _That look, _it made him want to apologize for even having thought such awful things about Yuffie. It was the look of a puppy that had been kicked too many times and was holding onto a small thread of hope that somebody would rescue them, when, in reality, nobody would. It was a look of utter heartbreak and despair. Yet still he remained silent. He just _couldn't_ say it.

Yuffie locked eyes with Leon. She wanted to make sure he knew exactly how she felt. The pain in her heart, the burning of the few angry tears that refused to stay hidden, her body shaking with a rage all its own. All of it. She wanted him to see it all. When he'd said those last words, something deep within her shattered, like glass, into a million pieces. She worked to keep the tears from falling, thankful that she was able to force them down for the time being.

After what seemed like an eternity, and after finally forcing the emotional battle inside her to pause for the time being, she spoke. Her words quick and hushed "Well, that's fine, if that's how you really feel. But until I find a job that'll pay enough I'm stuck here." Yuffie was grateful that, at least for the time being, she could control her emotions. "But don't worry." She continued raising her voice and taking a few cautionary steps toward the door, "I'll sleep on the floor, or whatever. I'm going out. Tell Aerith I won't be back home for dinner if anybody cares." With that she ran out of the bedroom, down the hall, and out the door, leaving a confused and regretful Squall with his thoughts.

-x--x- -x-

That was almost two hours ago. Now, as the little ninja walked along the cobblestone road she realized that she had absolutely nowhere to go. She'd already been to the waterway. There she spent a good half an hour crying, surprised that she actually felt better afterward. Granted, she was still very much upset, but she felt somehow emotionally relieved once she'd finally let the tears fall. But now she was wandering aimlessly around Traverse Town and the sun was starting to set. Yuffie knew she couldn't keep walking around once the sun went down. _Nobody_ wandered around Traverse Town after dark. Too many muggings and rapes. Yuffie knew she couldn't go back to the hotel either. She'd been humiliated, and she wasn't ready to face Squall. After all, he _never wanted to see her ever again_. Even now, the words stung.

Checking her pockets she found a few dollars. Good. Just enough for a coffee at the café. Despite their constant budget concerns, neither Aerith nor Cloud ever noticed when Yuffie would casually steal a few dollars from them. Yuffie wasn't a thief, it was just a few dollars here, a few there, and at that point they had so much from all the Heartless that it didn't matter. But she'd always thought it was wise to have a little bit of money on you at all times, in case of emergency. And this was a caffeine emergency. She knew that eventually she would have to go back and face Leon. And if she was going to get humiliated twice today she wanted to be heavily caffeinated and hyper when she did so. It helped her deal with things better.

Yuffie walked into the little café and spotted an open seat at the counter, next to a girl with long, blonde, hair. Yuffie sat down and took a moment to observe her surroundings. The café was very small, having only about five tables (all of which, she noticed, were occupied) and a counter, that had about six stools, that were only occupied by herself and the blond girl.

Yuffie was surprised that the girl didn't look familiar to her. In her free time, Yuffie had taken it upon herself, not to really _spy_ on, but observe the people of Traverse Town, and in all of her exploits, she'd never seen this girl before.

"What'll it be?" The man at the counter asked her.

"Oh, I'll just have a coffee, black, please." Yuffie responded. As she paid the man, she realized that this was the last of her money. This had better be some good coffee. Just as she was about to take a small sip, a bright voice cut in.

"Isn't it a little late for coffee? Maybe it's a little early….I'm not sure. I guess it all depends on how you look at things, but _I_ still think it's too late for coffee." Looking over at the person who had spoken, she realized that it was, in fact,the blonde girl, who had just finished talking.

"Excuse me?" Yuffie didn't understand. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"Well," the girl began, flipping her long hair behind her shoulders and turning to face Yuffie, "some people drink coffee early in the morning to get their energy up, and other people drink it late at night to stay awake. It's mid-afternoon, so you most likely aren't just waking up and if you wanted to stay up all night, you would drink it later. So what's the point in drinking it if not for one of those reasons? Or why drink itat all really, it tastes disgusting." She finished with a giggle.

"I need the energy," Yuffie said dejectedly, "and to get my nerve up." She took a long gulp, letting the scalding, bitter, liquid slither down her throat. The girl was right. It was disgusting. She quickly reminded herself that she wasn't drinking it for the taste.

"Oh? What for" She stared at Yuffie intently, "if I can ask, that is." She added hastily.

Yuffie took a deep breath. She really didn't want to tell a complete stranger her life story, but something about this girl made Yuffie feel like she could trust her.

"Well, I kinda ran away from home…….well I didn't really _run away_, that's childish. I got into an argument with this guy and he really upset me and told me he never wanted to see me again, and I got upset and left and now I'm broke and I really want to move out of there, because I have to share a bedroom with him. That's how the fight kinda got started, and then there's the problem that I can't find a job, because no place is hiring, especially a teenager. And life really sucks an----" She paused "And I must sound like a total idiot right now." She finished blandly. Well, so much for that.

"No, of course not! I'm really sorry I asked. I mean, it sounds like you have it pretty rough at home. But if you need a job, I think I can help. That is, if you're interested." The girl said looking at Yuffie intently.

"Wow, you'd really do that for me? I mean I hardly know you, but still. That's really nice of you to offer. I'd love to!Where is it exactly?" Yuffie asked.

The blonde girl looked around and lowered her voice so only Yuffie could hear. "Well, you know that bar down the street from the hat shop in the Second District?" Yuffie nodded. "That's the place. I'm in good with the owner and his son. I'll get you a job there, no problem."

Yuffie was stunned. "But aren't you, I mean you only look about----" "Sixteen. Yeah I am." She cut in. "But the guy who owns it, Jecht, is always drunk or sleeping it off, so his son Tidus runs it. Tidus is seventeen, and since he runs it he gives his friends jobs and stuff like that. And since I'm a friend of his, he gave me a job a long time ago, and since you are now a friend of mine, and Tidus owes me big time for setting him up with my cousin,Yuna,a month ago, I can get you a job, no problem!" She chirped happily.

"I don't know what to say. Um….thank you. Really thanks a lot! I really appreciate it…um what is your name again?" Yuffie giggled. She'd almost forgotten they'd never been properly introduced.

"My name's Rikku. And you are?" Rikku asked.

"My name's Yuffie." Yuffie answered. She couldn't believe how great this was. One minute she was crying her eyes out and the next she'd made a friend and had a new job. Her fight with Leon temporarily pushed out of her mind, she asked Rikku, "So when do I start?" oping she didn't sound too rude.

"Well, let's see," Rikku checked the time on a large clock above the counter, "It's almost seven. My shift begins at nine. So we have almost two hours to get you a new outfit and get down there. We'd better hurry!" With that she grabbed Yuffie, and, pulling her by the arm, took off sprinting down the street.

The two girls ran for almost ten minutes until Rikku came to an abrupt stop outside a small boutique. As they took a moment to catch their breath before going inside, Yuffie got her first good look at Rikku.

Her hair went to about mid-back and was a deep golden blonde. She was extremely tan and very comfortable with her body, judging by her outfit. She wore a light pink halter top, cut dangerously low, and that was a bit short in the front, exposing a tan, flat stomach and naval piercing. The skirt she had on was a leather type material,Yuffie deduced,by the way it shone in the light. It, too, was extremely high cut, and Yuffie wondered how a person could maneuver in such a tiny outfit. The boots she had on were leather as well that stopped just short of her knee. Just as she was about to turn her gaze away, Rikku caught her staring.

"What? Is there something on my shirt?" Rikku lifted her golden locks from their resting place in front of her shouldersand looked herself over to find any signs of a stain.

"No, no. You look fine, it's just…..how do you, ya know, walk, or run, or _stand_ in shoes like those?"

"Easy." Rikku shrugged, "I guess it just takes practice. You'll get used to it eventually, trust me. Yuffie!" Despite her attempts to hide it, Yuffie had accidentally allowed _her you-must-be-kidding-there's-no-way-in-hell-I'm-wearing-anything-like-those- _look to settle itself on her features while Rikku was talking.

"Whatever. You're gonna wear shoes like this, and you _will_ get used to it. Now, come on! We're wasting time outside." She pulled Yuffie into the store.

They were only in the boutique for about three seconds before an unfamiliar voice yelled out " Rikku? Oh my God, Rikku! What in the world are you doing here?"

Both Rikku and Yuffie looked around to see a girl with waist-length brown hair walking over to them from the cash register.

"Lenne! Rikku called out going to meet the girl, giving her a quick hug. "I haven't seen you in weeks! Everybody misses you down at the bar! Especially Shuyin" Rikku joked. If the color of red on Lenne's cheeks was anything to go by, Shuyin, whoever he was, obviously meant a lot to her.

Before Yuffie had much time to contemplate on the subject Rikku was introducing her to Lenne. "Yuffie, this is Lenne. Lenne, Yuffie. Lenne worked with me down at the bar for a long time and then she quit." Here Rikku stopped in her explanation to give Lenne big puppy dog eyes and a pout. "And she's been gone for almost a month and poor Shuyin is all upset because she's gone. It's always 'Lenne this' and 'Lenne that' Poor boy's gone insane without her there. But that's not the point!" Rikku stopped herself. "We're here to find a new outfit for Yuffie. She's taking your position tonight." She addressed Lenne.

"Hmm….Yuffie, you're what a size two? Ah well…" She paced around the store and stopped at a rack of clothing, before pulling something out and tossing it to Yuffie. "This should fit. But wait….." She ran over to the other side of the store and grabbed something else and threw it up in the air. Yuffie caught it and continued to follow Lenne around the store. "This too! Oh! This is _so _much fun!" She squealed, tossing something else onto the growing pile Yuffie was carrying.

Rikku, who had wandered off a few minutes prior, came back with a long white box in her hands. "You are going to wear these, and you are going to like it." She smirked, placing the box on top of the clothing in Yuffie's arms.

"Now into the dressing room!" Lenne yelled boisterously, as both she and Rikku pushed Yuffie into a small room at the back of the store.

Several minutes later, Lenne and Rikku were hollering at Yuffie to come out and show them, but Yuffie most defiantly didn't want anybody to see her in this outfit.

She was wearing a hot pink bikini top, which was partially covered by a mesh shirt that was long sleeved but still cut off to reveal her pale stomach. The skirt she was wearing was not unlike Rikku's. It might have been a bit shorter, but it was made of the same leather material. Several belts, hot pink and black, rested loosely on her narrow hips. The shoes Rikku picked out for her were nothing short of outrageous. They were long, like Rikku's, but went up to almost mid-thigh and hugged her leg the whole way up. The small heel was surprisingly comfortable, and truthfully, she was pretty sure she could wear them for several hours without any serious discomfort.

Yet as she stood there, taking in her reflection in the full length mirror, she wondered why she was doing this in the first place. This wasn't her. This outfit was way to revealing, and under normal circumstances, she would have probably laughed at girls who wore things like this. But here she was, the epitome of everything she didn't want to be, but she guessed this was the way it was going to be. She was going to have to be more mature and deal with it.It was time for Yuffie to grow up.

"Hurry up! We wanna see!" Lenne whined from the other side of the door.

Yuffie figured this was it and stepped out of the dressing room.

Rikku clapped and cheered loudly as Lenne whistled and yelled catcalls to the drastically different Yuffie.

"It looks fantastic! You have amazing legs, you know that?" Lenne asked eyeing Yuffie's boots.

"Wow, thanks." Yuffie said, still feeling insecure. Rikku checked the clock before announcing, "Shit! We're totally going to be late, and I don't want Tidus to kill me! How much is it all Lenne?" Rikku asked as she dug out her wallet.

"Actually," Lenne answered slyly, "It's on the house, if you can, you know, get me a date for Friday. With a certain _someone_." She drummed her fingers on the counter awaiting a response

"Who? Shuyin? Please, no problem. That's boy's crazy about you! Just be ready at seven this Friday ok?" Rikku started to pull Yuffie in the direction of the door "Thanks so much, Lenne! We'll come by and see you like, tomorrow or something, ok?" The blonde yelled across the room to the girl at the register. "No problem guys! Thanks for the date. Nice meeting you, Yuffie!"

"Nice meeting you too!" Was all Yuffie could get out before Rikku pulled her outside and they started off in the direction of the bar.

-x- -x- -x-

Leon hadn't felt so guilty in years. He wished he'd have stopped her before she took off like that. Now she was alone on the streets and it was getting dark. He knew her well enough to know that if she was in her right mind she would have been home by now. Then again, she had been really upset when she left. And, for once, he didn't blame her.

Aerith had yelled at him, saying how terrible and insensitive his words were. Cloud had congratulated him on finally getting rid of "The Yuffie Problem" as Cloud sometimes referred to Yuffie behind her back. Leon wasn't sure which one made him feel worse.

He;d never meant to hurt her like he had. And all over a stupid bed. She was out, alone, in the dark, because of a stupid bed. No, that was wrong, it was all because of _him. _If only he had apologized! But his stupid ego stood in the way. He'd never felt so low. Sure, he'd upset her before, but never like this. Even now he could still see the pain, shock, and betrayal in her eyes. He could still hear her voice and the way she spoke right before she left. Her voice tainted with sorrow and anguish. He'd never heard her use that voice any other time. Those eyes and that voice were enough to make him feel absolutely worthless. Like the lowest person ever. And perhaps he was. He was tired of thinking about it.

Leon laid down on the large, empty bed and grudgingly closed his eyes, allowing sleep to find him. Maybe, a nap was what he needed. Too bad this wasn't all just some dream

-x- -x- -x-

A/N: That does it for this chapter. I'm actually almost satisfied with the way it came out. Once again I apologize for the grammar/spelling mistakes. Like I said, Spell Check won't fix much of anything. And I want to take a minute to apologize for the lateness in this chapter as well. School and homework decided to get in the way leaving little time to write. Once again, Reviews would make me very happy, and would more than likely ensure a sooner update, but they aren't required.

Until next time,

Bright Eyes


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Welcome, welcome to Train Wreck chapter three! An important issue I want to make clear: I know I said this fic took place within the game. It does, but it has a few elements of AU and is a crossover as well. I also apologize for the super crappiness of this chapter. I wrote and rewrote this over and over for about two weeks, and I'm still not satisfied. But I, being lazy, am posting it anyway. Yay me. Hope it's somewhat satisfactory, though I doubt it. Grrr…I'm not very good with dialogue.

**Heartsoblivion:** thanks for your review! Yep, Squall's bad. But hopefully he sorta makes up for it here a little bit. He'll come around eventually.

Disclaimer: Yep it's mine. All mine. Every last bit. You thought Square and Disney owned it, but nope, I do. And if you believed that you really have problems. I honestly would be rolling around in a bathtub filled with dollar bills right now if I owned Kingdom Hearts. No bathtub, no money, no game. Darn.

I'm also currently looking for a beta for this story and any future works. If anybody is interested, please email me (the link is in the profile). And I would love you forever. Of course that's bribery. Heh. Yes, I blame the sleep deprivation.

This chapter is dedicated to Hawaiian Punch. (Ya know, the Fruit Jucy Red stuff?) Because without its high sugar content, this chapter would not have gotten out for quite a while.

**-Chapter 3: Goodnight, Goodnight-**

-x- -x- -x-

_Left. Right. Left. Right._ All Yuffie could feel was the white hot searing pain shooting out from her ankles. Her calves felt like they were on fire and fatigue marred her vision as she struggled to maintain her pace. How long she and Rikku had been running down the streets of the Second District, she didn't know. All she could focus on was trying to maintain her pace, trailing behind Rikku at rate that was just pathetic, and mentally cursing the blonde for picking out such atrocious shoes for her.

Sure, she'd conceded when Rikku demanded she wear (and enjoy wearing) large, uncomfortable looking boots, but at the time they seemed innocent enough. Long, snug, and with a slight heel on the bottom, that _seemed_ as though it wouldn't cause great discomfort once she got used to it, Yuffie put them on without thinking twice. But as the pair left the store Rikku broke into a run, yelling something about getting fired if they were late, and it wasn't long before her new footwear betrayed her, causing the agonizing pain and discomfort Yuffie was now fighting with each step.

Looking ahead, all the girl could see was a flash of blonde and black as Rikku sprinted with ease far ahead of her. This girl had to be insane! That or she obviously ran quite often, for she didn't seem even remotely tired. Deciding that for the time being that she would assume it was the latter, Yuffie turned a corner, as Rikku had several moments before, and to her immense relief, found that the other girl had stopped running and was now facing a pair of enormous dark wooden doors.

Cool waves of relief flooded Yuffie's body and before she realized it, her legs buckled and she collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her mind becoming hazy as the cold evening winds nipped at her face and blew her short, black hair wildly about. The young girl's breathing became slower, less forced, and she vaguely wondered where Rikku was. Standing up on unsteady legs, Yuffie peered around in search of her new friend.

"Lookin' for me?" Came a voice from behind her. As Yuffie turned around, a task that proved to be more difficult than she'd anticipated, she saw none other than Rikku herself, hands on her hips, a slightly smug grin plastered on her face.

"Y-Y-Yes." Yuffie spluttered obviously taken aback.

"So how'd you enjoy the run?" the blonde giggled, flipping her hair and showing no apparent signs of anything more than an increased heart rate as the result of their little escapade.

"Unngh…" Yuffie held her head.

"That bad huh? I guess I should have told you that Lenne's shop is all the way across town. But look on the bright side, we got hear earlier than I thought we would, so you can meet the guys!" Yuffie sighed, maybe a bit too loudly, because Rikku seemed to hear it.

"Trust me, they're great! You just have to get to know them first. I promise." She grinned, opening the massive wooden doors and motioning for Yuffie to follow her inside.

A massive, dimly lit room met Yuffie's eyes. The faint odor of cigarette smoke and stale alcohol lingered in the air, causing her nose to twitch as she fought to hold back a sneeze. On one wall was a long wooden counter lined with stools. Behind the counter, a colossal cabinet imbedded into the wall displayed hundreds of bottles in all varieties of sizes, colors, and shapes. Several odd tables decorated the bare space beyond the bar and what looked to be an old beaten up juke box sat alone in the farthest corner, almost as if it didn't think it belonged there Yuffie noticed that the place was utterly deserted; she and Rikku were the only ones there. An involuntary shiver made its way up her spine. Maybe this _was_ a bad idea after all…….

Before the little ninja had much time to digest her new found insight, Rikku grabbed Yuffie by the wrist and pulled her behind the counter, past the cabinet and all the colorful bottles of liquor, over to an obscure door off to the side with the word "STORAGE" printed in peeling black letters on it. Before Yuffie had the chance to question Rikku's decision, the blonde girl gripped the handle and flung the door open.

Fluorescent lights hung on the ceiling, giving the aqua tile on the walls and ceiling an eerie glow. Cardboard boxes and wooden crates were stacked haphazardly around the room, and the same cigarette-smoke-meets-alcohol stench was present.

Yuffie blinked. Several people sat atop makeshift seats of stacked crates in the center of the room. One of them, a brunette woman who looked to be about two years older than Yuffie, laughed boisterously at something a silver haired man next to her had said. Two blonde men, who looked so much alike that Yuffie was positive they must have be related somehow, were talking animatedly, well arguing actually, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. A silver haired woman with pale skin and crimson eyes was the only one in the room standing; her gaze darting from one conversation to the other, arms crossed and face unreadable.

"Guys! I got news!" Rikku shoved Yuffie, who had been standing a ways behind the blonde in front of her.

"This is Yuffie, our new coworker. Tidus, you owe me a favor, and Yuffie here, is friendly, great with people, and very hardworking. So there." Rikku stated triumphantly.

Yuffie immediately felt six pairs of eyes on her, seemingly burning holes into her flesh. This kind of attention was a completely foreign experience to her. The girl was always either regarded with scorn or pity, or disregarded all together. But these people didn't know her, and justly did not judge her like she was used to. Perhaps what was the reason Yuffie felt her face slowly heating up, the color rising from her chin to forehead as she played with her fingers nervously, waiting for somebody to say something so she didn't have to.

One of the blonde men walked toward her, the look on his face showing that he meant business. He stared at her intensely for a minute, and then spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

"So, Yuffie, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Tidus and I run this fine establishment," Here he shook her hand, "And before we hire you we must conduct a little interview. Hope you don't mind. Standard procedure." Yuffie felt a large lump start to form in her throat. This was not good.

"So, how old are you?"

"Sixteen," was the meek response that followed.

"Hmm…" he scratched his chin thoughtfully, "and do you have any waitress or bartending experience?"

"Well,….no." Everybody was silent as the exchange continued.

"I see. Do you have any job experience at all?"

"No, not really." _Shit_. She was sure she'd blown any chance of her getting the job by now, but for some reason Tidus continued.

"Ever been drunk before?" Ok, now what the _hell_ kind of question was_ that_?

"No?" It came out sounding more like a question than an answer. Yuffie inwardly grimaced at the pathetic tone that had somehow worked its way into her voice.

"And have you ever been around mass amounts of alcohol?"

"No, not really. Well, unless you count walking past all of the stuff you guys keep behind the counter 'being around mass amounts of alcohol', that is."

Wonderful. Not. Yuffie silently fumed feeling both embarrassed by her naïveté and by the fact that she actually thought she ever stood a chance of getting a job like this. Wallowing in self pity, she mentally cursed herself for even thinking something good could happen to somebody like her. Everytime she attempted something, all she was able to succeed at was failing miserably. What a waste of time. She should have never---

"Great you're hired! Welcome." A voice cut in, silencing her internal angst. She looked in the direction of the voice, only to find that she didn't have to look far, because it had apparently come from Tidus. She stared at him quizzically. She had no credentials, and no experience to speak of, so why bother with her?

"What? You…….heard me right?" Tidus looked at her strangely; she hadn't seemed to have heard him, or at least not heard him correctly, for all she did was look ahead dazedly.

"Wait. What? You mean you're actually hiring me," she spoke slowly, as if allowing him time to correct her before she spoke once more, "even though I'm underage, inexperienced, and have no idea how to conduct myself in the presence of alcohol, correct?"

"Yep. We're all underage, so you're not any different." Tidus began, but before he could continue, the brunette woman hopped of her seat and joined the conversing group stating cheerfully, "and as far as experience goes, you really don't need any. Just be nice to the customers and make them whatever they want as long as they pay. Not much thinking involved really." She ended with a good natured shrug as one of the blonde man's arms slinked around her waist.

"And this," Tidus gestured with his free hand to the woman standing beside him, "is my girlfriend Yuna." He explained as she glared at him, her eyes shining and lips a thin line of distain. Noticing this, Tidus corrected himself.

"I mean, this is Yuna, my incredibly sexy, perfect, intelligent, beautiful, incredible, best girlfriend ever." He plastered a fake smile on his face and looked over at Yuna for approval.

"How sweet." She muttered sarcastically, trying to hide a grin and failing. Tidus then proceeded to whisper something sounding a bit like "you know how much I love you" against her cheek before kissing it.

"Yes, lovers, that's wonderful. Now moving on." Rikku cut in. She sure sounded pissed, Yuffie noticed. Her features reminded the girl of somebody who was trying to suppress the urge to vomit and for a moment, the girl could have sworn she'd seen Rikku looking at Tidus wistfully.

Another blonde man had now walked over to the group and Rikku proceeded to introduce him.

"This is Shuyin. Looks like Tidus, I know, but they're cousins so I guess it's a given. You'll be able to tell the difference between them. Eventually. Hopefully it doesn't take you as long as it took me." She rolled her eyes.

Shuyin greeted Yuffie politely. As the pair made light conversation, Rikku cut in.

"Hey Shuyin," She called in a sickeningly sweet voice, "you have a date with Lenne on Friday at seven. Why? Because I said so, and she's expecting it. I know you, like, totally love her so you can't say no." The huge smile plastered on the girl's face was almost pathetic. Like she was begging. But luckily Shuyin was not the type of person to deny a bit of company on a lonely night off.

"Fine, why not. Gets me out of the house, I guess. But you know there's nothing wrong with, oh I don't know, _asking_ before you accept dates on my behalf." His tone was rather nonchalant, as if he was used to things like that happening to him. Either way, it didn't sound like the voice of unrequited love to Yuffie.

"Yeah, whatever. You love her." Rikku muttered dismissively, turning to speak to the silver haired woman, whom Yuffie noticed had walked soundlessly to the conversing group.

"You really shouldn't screw with him," she deadpanned, arms crossed, "he acts like he doesn't care, but he does. He's pretty easy to read once you get to know him."

"Oh Yuffie, this is Paine." The blonde gestured to the mysterious girl, "she's been here the longest out of all of us." The only response Yuffie got was a curt nod from Paine.

"And I guess that just leaves Baralai, Paine's boyfriend. Who is….." Rikku trailed off. Scanning the room, Yuffie noticed that the other man, whom she assumed to be Baralai, was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until they heard an odd shuffling noise and then the '_clink_' of glass on glass that the group noticed where he was.

His upper half was completely consumed by the enormous, dusty, wooden crate he was leaning in. Large bottles of clear liquid littered the floor around his visible bottom half and the rustling of bottles rang out in the air, along with a few muffled grunts and curses.

Paine walked over to the crate and gently kicked it, causing a very frazzled looking man to emerge.

"And you're doing what, now?" She bluntly inquired.

"Vodka." He replied simply, as if it were the most common thing in the world. "And I am looking for the right bottle." After a few more grunts and a minute or two of searching the bottom of the crate and he emerged seeming very pleased with himself.

He held one of the largest bottles of the peculiar clear liquid by the neck of the bottle in one hand and several small glasses in the other.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in a melodramatic voice, but it quickly turning into a humorous one as he finished with an enthusiastic "lets drink!"

Yuna, having kept quiet for quite a while now, (most likely due to the distraction of Tidus, if Yuffie had to guess) spoke once again.

"Baralai, we aren't even open yet. You know how you get after you have too much to drink. I don't think any of us want what happened the other day to happen again." Her eyes shone with concern as Baralai remained unfazed.

"It's just one drink, not gonna kill anyone. And what happened the other day was no big deal." He answered distractedly, twisting off the metal cap.

Damn curiosity. It always got in the way, and Yuffie couldn't help herself in asking "What happened the other day?" and cringing inwardly as the words left her mouth. Why was she so nosey?

He, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. Speaking cheerfully, Baralai said, "Well, I was off work that night , I was_ bored_, and I had some vodka at home, so I drank some of it. Well, a lot of it, actually Got piss drunk and went into the first district. Then some dumbass started saying things and I kicked his ass. Got arrested for it. They said it was public intoxication and disturbing the peace, but he started it. Whatever," He scoffed bitterly, "then they took me down the police station and---"

"And guess who got to come down to the first district and bail him out at three AM?" Everybody turned in shock, not expecting to hear a different voice. Yuffie noticed a man stood in the doorway, his blonde hair spiked and an eye patch covering his right eye.

"Gippal did. Gippal had to leave Rikku, whom he was on a date with at the time, and go and drag a totally fucked up Baralai back to his apartment so he and his girlfriend could nurse the poor drunk's hangover so he could go to work the next night. What a good person." He finished with an admiring sigh. Rikku rolled her eyes and went to hug him.

"I thought you were off tonight." She whined.

"I was, but I decided to come in anyway. You know you guys always need me." He concluded with a haughty grin. Noticing Yuffie for the first time he commented,

"Hey, fresh meat!" with a mischievous grin.

"This Gippal, is Yuffie, our newest coworker. Yuffie this is Gippal, my idiot of a boyfriend." She said squeezing him around the waist. They exchanged casual greetings as Yuffie felt a small glass, filled with what looked like water, being thrust into her hand.

"Newbie drinks first." Baralai grinned, "You said you've never gotten wasted before, so I figured we get you started _before_ work, that way you get a good buzz now."

She looked doubtfully at the liquid inside. It definitely wasn't water that much was certain. Everybody was looking at her expectedly. _'Time to grow up, remember?'_

Her inner voice teased her. She glanced up from the glass to the ensemble around her.

"It's not bad, trust me," Gippal said, offering a reassuring smile, "Just gulp it all at once. The taste isn't much, but the effects are awesome."

The ninja nodded at the man and lifted the glass up to her lips, parting them to allow the liquid to flow inside.

Her first instinct was to gag. This stuff was _horrible_! She sipped it trying to ignore the dull burning sensation in her throat. Slamming the glass down on the crate, she felt a ringing sensation in her ears, and a slight dizziness overcame her. That sensation was almost simultaneously replaced with a feeling of contentment.

"How do you feel, Yuffie?" Yuna asked cautiously.

"Huh?" Now where had Yuna come from? Smiling Yuffie answered, "Good. Yeah, I feel really, really good." And she did. For some strange reason, all of her self doubt, insecurity, and any hostility had disintegrated, leaving her with a feeling of intense euphoria. Everything was going to be fine. And why didn't she think of this sooner? This was great!

"Great. So are you ready for your first day of work?" Tidus inquired.

"Uh huh." She nodded vigorously, feeling herself grow more and more optimistic by the second.

"Good. Because it's time to go." With that the group made their way out of the storage closet and took their places behind the counter. Yuffie could still feel that peculiar sensation, although it was weaker and found herself wanting more of whatever it was that had made her feel so great. She wanted that intense feeling of satisfaction, the warmth that flooded her mind after that first drink, even the slight pain and discomfort from the actual taste itself. Anything for more. Had she been in her right mind, Yuffie would have stopped at one, but any logical reasoning she had was quickly disposed of as she was promised more. More vodka, more alcohol, more ways to dull the pain.

-x- -x- -x-

Leon lifted his head up from the pillow and scanned the darkened room. No Yuffie on the bed. No Yuffie on the floor. He sighed and ran a hand through his sleep tossed hair and stumbled out of bed.

She wasn't in the living room, and Aerith and Cloud would never allow her to sleep in their room. He wondered vaguely if she would even want to sleep there in the first place. God knows what they did in there. With a brief shudder he realized it was nighttime. And not only nighttime, _very_ late nighttime. And there was no reasonable way Yuffie would be out at two A.M. at night. She was smarter than that. Right?

An involuntary wave of panic coursed through his body. Sure she was annoying, rude, immature, and melodramatic, the list went on and on, but she knew better than to be out this late. His words must have really hurt her.

"_Well of course they did, dumbass."_ His conscience spoke.

"_Do you blame her for running off like that? Hurt and shocked, and on top of it, without an apology?_ No. He didn't. It was the logical thing to do. And he didn't stop her. His pride wouldn't allow him to commit such an indiscretion, which was ironic, because he'd lost his pride as soon as he'd lost his temper. Cloud and Aerith has heard him that he was positive of. It would actually surprise him if the whole hotel hadn't heard his outburst. Why did _he_ always have to be the one to make mistakes? Sure deep down he knew he was whining, but he really didn't care. He had the right to bitch to himself.

Mentally cursing the entire day, he sat down on the living room couch, taking out the newest newspaper and began to read, all the while subconsciously waiting, hoping, that Yuffie would walk through the door safe and at least not as upset as when she'd left. He sighed. He sincerely hoped that she was somewhere safe and comfortable. The girl deserved that much.

_"She deserves an apology." _Damn conscience. But Leon was not about to argue; he knew it was true.

-x- -x- -x-

"Oopsie!" came the aloof cry as the girl crashed to the ground for the third time in about ten minutes.

"Shit, Yuffie get up!" Rikku tugged on the girl's left arm, coaxing her up so they could resume their walk back to Yuffie's hotel room.

"Baralai!" Rikku snarled as Yuffie fell once more on her behind, giggling as she struggled once more to stand.

"You just _had_ to give her _vodka_!" she screeched, "We could have started her out easy with wine or beer or something like that, but noooooooo! Baralai wants to do shots. She was so disoriented she almost passed out in the bathroom!" Rikku was livid.

Baralai had given Yuffie another shot of vodka, not to mention a few of tequila and who knows what else. Anytime Rikku had looked at Yuffie, she had some sort of glass or bottle in her hand, and anytime she wanted a refill Baralai was more than happy to comply. He hadn't even _considered_ the fact that she'd never gotten drunk before. The girl hadn't even tasted alcohol, and he goes and gives her vodka! Outrageous.

"Hey! She wanted it. And who was I do deny her? Man, she got trashed too," here the pair had to hoist the poor ninja up once more, " I've never seen a first timer drink so much. Did you see when she did that shot of tequila? _I_ can't even do that without getting nervous! She is gonna have one nasty hangover tomorrow." Rikku sighed, and chose to tactfully ignore him as much as possible.

"How much farther?" Rikku groaned. This was insane, Yuffie had been so trashed that she couldn't even stand properly, so Rikku and Baralai volunteered (more like were forced into) to try to get her home relatively unscathed.

Yuffie fell once more as her chaperones unintentionally loosened their grip on her wrists. She laid on her back and started to laugh uncontrollably. What was so funny, she had no idea. She just had to laugh.

"Yuffie, come on, get up." Baralai hissed annoyedly.

"Huh? Hehe. Hello, Baralai. Would you like to go for a roll in the hay? " she inquired, still on her back. " It's fun! Roll, roll, roll in the hay, roll roll, roll in the hay" She sang blithely, at this point rolling around on the cobblestone road, sniggering at her little song.

"And see? She's _totally_ lost it!" Rikku cried out in frustration, pulling Yuffie up once more.

"And again, not my fault." Her male companion groaned as Yuffie fell on him, effectively knocking him down.

"Whatever. I think this is the place." She nodded at hotel building.

"You sure?" He studied the complex closely.

"Yeah. I think so." She looked at Yuffie, who was leaning all of her weight on Baralai again, rubbing her red eyes with her hand. She may have been a few feet away but in the evening air Rikku could smell the alcohol on her breath, her clothes, her skin, everywhere. Baralai was right. She was going to have one badass hangover as soon as she woke up the next day. Provided she even woke up the next day. Who knew how long she would be out?

"Yuffie, where's your room at?" Rikku asked allowing patience to slip into her voice, making it sound as if she was addressing a two year old.

"Oer heeeerr….." Yuffie slurred, walking down a hallway and pointing to a door.. Rikku hoped the girl at least remembered her address, but she was rolling around on the concrete not half an hour earlier, so the blonde honestly had no idea what was going on in her friend's mind, if anything at all.

"Well, we'll um….just wait over here, until you get in." Baralai said, hastily pulling Rikku around the corner and into a shadow, obscuring them from view. Yuffie only stared blankly for a second before knocking on the door, and speaking with the person holding it open. She then stumbled drunkenly inside, aided by a mysterious arm, and the pair, deciding she was safe, turned away and headed back to the bar.

-x- -x- -x-

"Hey Squallie, Squallie!" Yuffie chirruped, "guess what? I'm drunk!" She snickered and stumbled around the living room. God damnit! Why couldn't she see anymore? What? Shit…..

Leon just stared. He could tell as soon as she walked, or more like_ fell,_ through the door. He'd smelt it on her, seen her bloodshot, half-lidded eyes, her hair tousled and balance uneven. A new wave of guilt and shame flooded his mind. This was his fault. All of it. He could tell she'd had an obscene amount of alcohol, in a very short time. Tomorrow was going to be hell a million times over for her. And maybe even the next few days as well. He knew he'd upset her, but to drive her to such lengths as to go and get _that_ wasted? He now officially felt like the worst person in Traverse Town.

Again.

Why did she have that effect on him? How was she able to infuriate him so much, but to make him more than willing to ask for forgiveness not a minute later?

She confused him. She frustrated him. More than anybody he had ever known. Leon was so used to being around people who were easy to read. Open books for his knowing eyes. And for the longest time, he thought Yuffie was one of them. But this proved it. She was changing too quickly for him to keep up.

Breaking from his thoughts, Leon realized that the laughter had stopped. Crumpled up on the couch, motionless, was Yuffie. She was breathing alright, the steady rise and fall of her chest proved that, but he wasn't about to let her sleep it off on the couch.

Perhaps he was driven by guilt, perhaps empathy, or maybe something else. But whatever it was, it was with him when he gently scooped the sleeping teenager into his arms and carried her down the hall into their bedroom. It was there when he placed her gingerly down on the large, soft, bed and covered her up with a thin sheet, but it was most prevalent when he bent down to her ear, gingerly brushed her dark hair off her cheek, and whispered a soft "I'm really sorry Yuffie," into her ear. The only indication she'd heard anything whatsoever was a small groan as she shifted on the bed.

But, right now, that was enough for him.

-x- -x- -x-

A/N: And that concludes chapter three. Yes major suckage there. Ah well. Congrats to you if you noticed the reference to Young Frankenstein. Love that movie. It was pretty obvious, in case you missed it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because it was a pain to write. The next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one. Hopefully.

Until next time,

Bright Eyes.


End file.
